Very dangerous! bought a new 2004 Ford Freestar mini van on Jan. 22. of 2005 leftover. I have 35,000 miles on it. Driving home with my family on the heavily traffic long island expressway I 495 at approx 10:30 in the evening. No warning the transmission dies. No power at all. I coast to the right lane and with no shoulder where I was I just prayed I would not get plowed into the rear with my two boys age 5 and 10 sleeping. This was extremely dangerous. After reading the forums on the internet I find this is a common problem with this vehicle. Check out this link which is one of a few I have found... www.carsurvey.org/viewmorecomments_review_77118_1.html what recourse do I have and why isn't Ford made to redesign / repair this deficiency in their design. Some family will get injured if not killed. These vans were designed for families with young children. Very disappointed and concerned.

- Dix Hills, NY, USA

Transmission fails and car stalls in traffic without warning, which creates a safety hazard. The Ford dealer service department replaced the PCM, wiring harness, and multiple sensors, but the problem continued. The cause appears to be flooding of PCM, related wiring, and attached sensors due to design defect. Ford tsb exists on this issue.

- Tallahassee, FL, USA

Vehicle transmission went on my 2004 Ford Freestar van with no warning signs while driving. (car only had 74,000). I have read online and there are many other owners of these same vans the same problem which is extremely dangerous.. vans are primarily purchased to Transport kids and this should be a number one reason Ford should have a recall to take care of this problem before anyone has a dangerous accident.

- Newark, DE, USA

In Oct. My two year old and I were in a left lane on the expressway in flint during rush hour when the transmission went out. Somehow I made it to the side of the road. Cars were swerving around us. People helping me push the car said they can't believe we weren't hit. It was terrifying. The car only had 79,000 miles. This was just the beginning of our journey. We already had numerous problems with the back tailgate (a design flaw I'm told), sliding doors to the power steering. After a couple months because of arranging funding and getting a new trans the car was back. I drove my husbands lease on my 4 days 50 mile each way a week commute putting us way over the miles on his lease. 4 weeks later the light was on and the trans shop had it for about 3 weeks while they kept replacing parts to get it working. We got it back and within a month had it back in for service. My son and I spent the day at the shop. The light was back on within a month. On 6/21/07 we dropped it off. We got it back the end of August. The trans shop got Ford involved and the trans shop replaced several parts of the transmission. The torque converter, which I read complaints about, was one of the things replaced - I don't know how many times. I contacted Ford long before this and got nowhere with them. We got the car back and a month later the light came on. The trans shop decided to start over and get another complete transmission and replace it. They ordered it and the van went in again for a couple of weeks. For the last two months we haven't had any problems. Ford absolutely, 100%, has not stood behind this vehicle. It's a miracle my son and I weren't injured or killed when it first went out. It's only a matter of time before someone is seriously injured or killed. I was surprised when I saw on edmunds all the people complaining about this same problem. I bought this vehicle because I wanted a safe and reliable car for my child. What a joke!

- Fenton, MI, USA

The contact owns a 2004 Ford Freestar. While driving 40 mph, the engine revved and the vehicle would not accelerate. The vehicle coasted to a stop. There were no warning indicators prior to the failure. The vehicle was towed to the dealer and they stated that the transmission failed for an unknown reason. The transmission needed to be replaced. The VIN, engine size, and powertrain were unknown. The current and failure mileages were 61,300.

- Port Orchard, WA, USA

The contact owns a 2004 Ford Freestar. When the vehicle was started, the RPM's constantly accelerated to 2,000. While driving 40 mph, the transmission shifts gears and the RPM fluctuates between 25,000-35,000. There is also significant loss of power. The dealer stated that the failure was a normal occurrence; however, they informed the contact that the wheel hubs needed to be replaced two weeks later. The parts for the repair will not be available until April of 2008, but the vehicle is safe to drive in the interim. The failure mileage was 47,550 and current mileage was 47,600.

- Staten Island, NY, USA

My 2004 Ford Freestar stopped going forwards or backwards. Had it towed and it needs a new transmission with less than 30,000 miles on it.

- Nashville, MI, USA

Just driving along and the transmission stopped working. Would not work in any gear, but would go into park. No warning lights or noises.

- Beaverdam, VA, USA

While accelerating at a stop light. I felt a pop and there was no power to go forward or reverse. It was like running in neutral. Tried shifting gears but it would not move. I did research about what had happened and found many similar cases of internal problems with the torque converter and transmission. There where no warning signs. No lights on the dash column even after the problem occurred. I had my 3 year old son in the vehicle and we were very lucky that we were not on the highway where something horrible could have happened.

- Suisun City, NV, USA

I have a Ford Freestar 2004 & at 44,000 miles my transmission needs to be replaced. I am not getting anywhere with Ford and I think this could result in a fatal accident. I have seen a lot of other 2004 Freestars with the same problem & I think Ford should address this problem.

- Roswell, GA, USA

Van without warning stopped moving and engine cut off. This is a follow up from our christmas adventure. Got it towed to dealer and after 2 days of "looking into the problem" told me that water leaked in from under dash(it had not rained or snowed for days- roads weren't even wet) and got the computer wet an caused it to malfunction. Sealed leak and $250 later sent us on our way. Fast forward 2weeks and our van is back in the shop again for the same problems. Come on now, enough is enough!!!!! recall this problem before people get killed!!!!!

- York, PA, USA

Failure of the torque converter/automatic transmission in the 2004 Ford Freestar is a serious and widespread safety defect. NHTSA needs to wake up and issue a recall before someone gets killed driving one of these things. This is a family vehicle! families deserve safe vehicles, especially when purchasing decisions are made based on safety claims! duplicateto 10290338*smch

- Annapolis, MD, USA

Driving along at highway speed when I noticed my tachometer spike upward and the engine racing. I turned off the cruise control and gave the van gas only to hear the engine race and no pick up in speed. I was lucky enough to be able to get onto the shoulder safely. The Ford dealer tells me that the "planetary shaft" has broken off inside the pump in my transmission and that my repair will cost me roughly $3000. This free star is only 3 years old. Why is this happening to these fairly new vehicles? I have notices over 1300 complaints on edmunds not to mention the one on this site. Why isn't Ford doing a recall. Do they need the extra money to make their stock holder happy!

- West Lafayette, IN, USA

1. there was no prior warning 2. after normal highway driving, I came to a complete stop. I attempted to put the vehicle in reverse but the vehicle would not shift. 3. the mechanic said it was the torque convertor and the shaft were damaged, causing metal to entire the transmission, scoring in the valve compartment. The entire transmission and radiator are being replaced.

- Lovettsville, VA, USA

The first time we experienced problems with our 2004 Ford Freestar (approximately 38,000 miles)was in April of 2007. We were experiencing many problems related to the transmission. We took the vehicle in to our dealership and was told that a dead mouse was causing the problems. The next time the problems were the same, but they couldn't find anything wrong with the van when taken into the dealer. The third time, they said the torque converter needed replaced. At this time they kept our van for three days waiting for Ford to get back to them because the local dealer didn't understand what was wrong with it. They fixed it by replacing the torque converter....$1109 later. The first two visits amounted to approximately $400 I should add the first time it stopped working, my wife and two young children were driving in a not so hot part of town and had to pull into a seedy area. Cars were honking their horns and yelling at my wife to move. Our littlest child was crying and extremely upset. I was able to get to them and we drove the sputtering van home where we had it towed. The second time we were lucky. My wife was in her work parking lot. The third time we were even luckier...we were home. The fourth time we were coming home (just to let you know...it was christmas) we had the same things happen..sputtering, jerking of the transmission, engine shut off. All times we had to have the van towed. My wife is terrified to drive it in fear that when we pull out of our driveway, she and the children may be hit and killed. We live in between two hills of a very busy road. This road is frequented by dump trucks and landfill trucks! not only have we spent an extreme amount of money on the van, we read were many families have experienced the same thing. My wife had always felt safe in a Ford....not any more. We need help from whoever can help us. Please, let's stop Ford before someone gets killed.

- York, PA, USA

This is a national issue of a defective and unsafe transmissions of a Ford Motor Company product that Ford refuses to accept or be held accountable for and issue a recall. This is not a warranty issue but a defective product and integrity issue.

- Dawsonville, GA, USA

The contact owns a 2004 Ford Freestar. While accelerating from a stop with the accelerator pedal depressed, the vehicle would not shift properly. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and they discovered a transmission torque converter slippage. The speed was unknown. The current mileage was 94,000 and failure mileage was 79,000. The consumer stated he didn't changed the transmission fluid, because the dealer told him it was not necessary.

- Dawsonville, GA, USA

Transmission failure on MY2004 Ford Freestar with 56,000 miles. My wife was driving the van approximately two weeks ago...she accelerated onto the freeway and pulling in front of an 18 wheeler when the van just stopped accelerating and she quickly activated her hazard lights and merged off of the freeway. My four children where in the back seats and this could have turn tragic in the blink of an eye. There were no warning signs. We towed the van to the Ford dealer and they stated it was probably the transmission. I explained to them that I looked on the internet to see if there were any recalls on the Ford Freestar transmissions and did not find any. However, I was able to read over 1300 blogs similar complaints and very dissatisfied customers on edmunds.com website. The horrible thing that raise the red flag is that no one seems to be doing anything about this. I just recently returned from a one year tour iraq, not thinking my family would be in danger on the roads here in the great U.S of a. this is a cry for help / request that someone looks into the Ford Freestar transmission failures before someone gets killed, I pray that no one has already been killed. Senior chief troy thibeaux U.S. navy

- Gurnee, IL, USA

After leaving a family gathering on thanksgiving day we were driving home (my husband, 2 kids and I) when after stopping at a red light the car wouldn't accelerate, my husband tried to put it on reverse and and other gears but it would not move, all of this was happening in the middle of a 3 lines street with other cars honking at us. Because it was a holiday we have the car towed to our house first and to the dealer the next morning. To put a new transmission the dealer told us that it'll cost us $4390. After complaining to Ford's customer service they agreed to let us pay $1293.

- Stamford, CT, USA

On 11/15/07, my wife was driving our 2004 Ford Freestar with 45,000 miles near our home, (luckily), when, without warning of any kind, the transmission failed, rendering the vehicle inoperable. The vehicle simply would not move under it's own power and stopped in an intersection with traffic. I contacted the dealer I bought it from the next day and was told by the service writer that Ford was unaware of any problems with this year and model. Obviously, this was a lie. I then had the vehicle towed to the local aamco dealer. The operator of the aamco dealer is a retired Ford technician with over 20 years of experience. In fact, he maintains his Ford certification. Not only did he inspect the transmission and find it to be defective, but he also advised me that ours is the third vehicle of this make and model with this same exact transmission failure in the last week or so. All 3 vehicles have around the same mileage as well. So far, Ford customer satisfaction center in dearborn has been less than helpful and is stonewalling me on a resolution. I am awaiting a phone call from a supervisor at the call center but I am not holding my breath. I have contacted an attorney and meet with them this week. The vehicle needs a new transmission and we are without transportation until the issue is resolved. This is a serious defect that the public needs to be aware of. This is a family vehicle that was marketed for its safety. The vehicle is unsafe and the public needs to be aware and Ford needs to take the lead and step up to the plate and do the right thing.

- Annapolis, MD, USA